Tosca is a supreme example of music’s power to enthral an audience.

These Opera Guides are ideal companions to the opera. They provide stimulating introductory articles together with the complete text of each opera in English and the original. ‘Puccini’s motto could be: “The maximum effect with the simplest means”,’ suggests Bernard Keeffe. He analyses different aspects of the score, noting particularly Puccini’s genius for orchestration, and the infinitely subtle effects that give the melodrama irresistible vitality. Stuart Woolfe’s scholarly assessment of the significance of the historical themes for Puccini explains many of the motives of the protagonists. Tosca is a supreme example of music’s power to enthral an audience and Bernard Williams discusses the particular quality of its appeal.